The United States has recently given the seal of approval for the sale of two Aegis Ashore weapons system and its related equipment to Japan. The approval was confirmed by the United States State Department on Tuesday.
Japan is reportedly paying $2.15 billion for the state-of-the-art weapons system. The planned sales reportedly include the Aegis Ashore which is a land-based missile defense system. Japan is considering to set these defense systems in two important locations, the Akita and Yamaguchi prefectures. Many experts have noted that this is part of Japan's effort to counter the growing missile threat from North Korea.
In a statement, the U.S. State Department described the deal as, "It is vital to U.S. national interests to assist Japan in developing and maintaining a strong and effective self-defense capability."
The department added that the sale will give the Japanese government enhanced capability to counter sophisticated ballistic missile threats. The new weapons system will also add a new layer of defense to the Japanese archipelago.
The as part of the government protocol, the United States Defence Security Cooperation Agency notified the U.S. Congress about the recently closed arms deal on Tuesday.
While Japan's primary objective is to counter missile threats from its immediate neighbor to the north, some have noted that it might also be a strategy to counter Russia's growing influence in the region. Russia has been critical about Japan's decision to ramp up its missile defenses, especially on its northern region. Russia said that these defense upgrades are part of a strategy drawn up by the United States to create a missile shield in the Asia-Pacific region. It is important to note that Russia and Japan are currently negotiating a post-war peace treaty.
Regarding the integration of the newly acquired military hardware, Japan is positive that it will not be brought up any problem. The country already has a number of Aegis-equipped destroyers on its growing arsenal of military hardware. These new Aegis Ashore defense systems should fit perfectly without a problem on its existing defense system.
Japan's defense system is well-equipped with state-of-the-art military hardware. To be added into the country's arsenal are the two Aegis weapon systems, two command and control processor refreshes, two multi-mission signal processors, and related equipment and services to complement these upgrades.
A Japanese defense official said that the deployment of two additional Aegis Ashore weapon systems is "purely for national defense."
